The Trial of Tyana of Crakehall
by Nathaniel Cornelius Caesar
Summary: When Jayne's maid is finally put on trial for treason, the former servant has several questions about the bailiff's accusations.


The Trial of Tyana of Crakehall.

 _The Audience Chamber of the Lord John of House Julius, Lord of Fortitudo Simplicis, on the day sixty and seven, the third month of the year 300 following Aegon's Conquest (A.C)._

The chamber seemed full to the brim with both commoners and the high officials of his government; the Lord, sitting upon his seat, gazed down upon the woman who had been his eldest's attendant and caretaker, before seeming to turn traitor. He had delayed her punishment for as long as he had deemed fit, yet now felt it was time to give her a proper sentence. The evidence had been both miraculously compelling, and yet seemingly non-existent, and he had acted swiftly to contain what had seemed to be a violent threat to a new and inexperienced house. Yet deferment was no longer possible; he could not claim to have justly taken the lives of children who had been named as spies, and yet spare the life of a former maid. If the Owl had been condemned to death, and Melia had met her own end, then it was only right that the axe should fall on Tyana's head as well. He was not unreasonable; he would give her a public trial, and allow her to plead her case. If in the event of guilt they called for her death, he would be forced to grant it, yet he hoped he would not have to do so.

"My Lord." whispered Rona, giving a small nod of respect before continuing "Is this not against all we have worked for?"

"All shall be given equal treatment in this land, Rona." John whispered back "We have burnt the letters; your fears have been acted upon as surely as if they were the will of the Old Gods themselves. What more do you wish?"

Rona simply looked at him, failing to answer. It seemed that for all her knowledge, the great mistress of secrets knew no way to forestall the inevitable; nobility and the like could play games, but the law was the law, and in the end there was no getting around it. Tyana of Crakehall was lowborn, yet she had served honorably in a respected family and would be entitled to at least some of the privileges that her service had provided: though she stood accused of treason and oath breaking, it was likely she would simply be privately flogged, or else indentured for a lifetime of servitude, and forbidden to write again. The odds of her facing death were slim, if still in the peripheral vision. Nonetheless, that did not mean she was entirely protected; she would not receive a prayer in her chosen faith, despite her being a follower of the Seven, nor would she have the right to a trial by combat. Still, it was safe to say that like Lord Tyrion of Casterly Rock, many would have wanted to have been her. She had been allowed confession with Septa Eleanor (a special leniency, given her Lord's stance) and would now face judgment before him, denied a jury of seven.

"Tyana of Crakehall." called Petyr of the Lord's Guard "You stand accused of treason and oath breaking. You have repented all sin before the eyes of the Seven, and claim the accusations false. How do you plead?"

The maid stood, possessing a kind of simple regality that even the noble ladies of Long Rope lacked without proper training as she looked firmly forward and said "In the name of the Father and the Mother, I proclaim my innocence. I have never forsaken my Lord."

The guard nodded, gesturing for the bailiff, Simon Groat, to continue. For his part, it seemed that the man would rather that the occasion were not happening at all; he had despised the woman enough to attempt to have her arrested for stealing his food and the God's surely knew he didn't want to see her acquitted. However, despite his feelings, he cleared his throat and read out the evidence. There were the letters (which was interesting, considering per a previous order they no longer existed), her failure to protect the Lady Jayne, thievery, and suspected conspiracy to aid the Lord Regenard Turner during and after the War against the Three. It was needless to say that several of the Lord's advisors were barely holding themselves together; when it was all read out even a blind person could see that she had done, at most, less than the man accusing her. Lord John and several of the small folk seemed to have the same expression: a mixture of utter awareness of the absurdity of the charges, and the feeling that her fate was already sealed. If Groat was willing to do this in open court, there was no telling what trickery he would use to see her flogged, if not drawn and quartered.

"Do you admit, that you wrote letters of secrecy, and sent them to an enemy of this House?" asked Groat, rounding on the woman.

"I wrote letters, and they were of my own possession. If they were taken from me, and if someone who was able to copy my hand writing wrote in a similar way I cannot account for that." said the woman "Do you write letters, Mr. Groat?"

"Yes I do, and they do not end up in the hands of our enemies." said the man. "Now answer as to your loyalties."

"To House Julius." said the maid "My Lord knows the truth of the matter. Did you not beg for freedom when it was you behind the metal wall, Mr. Groat?"

"Do not insult me, I am-" Groat began.

"A criminal thief and embezzler who still happens to have his fingers, all of his skin, and his head." said Tyana "Because Alvyn of Oldtown is away on business."

"You dare speak this way in front of the Lord-" Groat fumed.

"My Lord knows I mean no disrespect. I am merely addressing your charges, Mr. Groat, and your disrespect which you have shown in front of his Lordship, despite your crimes." said maid.

"Yes, the charges; fine. Let's say you didn't write the letters." Groat began "You are still a thief, and we have no proof you have not used your influence to aid the traitor Regenard Turner in his war against us, and in his aid of the Silent Lady."

"I was pardoned for that. But even if I had stolen what you suggest, it was food and I shall gladly receive a flogging for it." said the maid "Nonetheless, I would like to see how you prove I aided the former Lord Turner from a prison cell. A cell, I remind you Mr. Groat, I have been in since shortly before the marriage of my mistress."

"Being in prison won't stop a resourceful mind." said Groat "The Silent Lady used children to do her bidding."

"Yes and she was notably free and unhindered, invested with wealth from a slaving trade and thus able to do that." said Tyana "I ….was in a cell in the dungeons. I barely had enough food to stay alive; do you honestly believe I was up to manipulating people , and bending them to my will? You must have lived in much kinder conditions during your stay, Mr. Groat."

"It is part of my esteem." said the man "Nonetheless that still does not account for your failure to aid Lady Jayne."

"During which incident, Sir?" asked the woman "The one where she gallivanted off into the woods and got kidnapped, and I tended to her following my Lord's permission?"

Many of the small folk nodded in sympathy as she went on.

"Well no-" Groat began.

"The part where she went on a violent crusade against a known slaver, and I was stuck in a cell, or where she refused to govern her own lands both before and after her husbands death, and this at one point led to rebellion?" She asked "I mean no disrespect to my mistress but I believe she took too kindly to letting her husband mismanage things."

"Well, no…." Groat sighed.

"Then let us state what I am accused of." said the maid.

"That's about it." said Groat, looking to Gammer Wilde.

"Aye, ye fool." said the old woman "She's guilty of nothing but being on your wrong side, Groat. In the name of the Old Gods, I'll not be condemning her."

Finally, Lord John rose from seat and spoke.

"I agree; you are free to go Tyana. Let us hope that no one-"

At this, the Lord looked first to Rona, who seemed to become visibly smaller, and then to Groat, who refused to show remorse and simply scowled.

"-commits such a grave miscarriage of justice in this land again. You may return to my service, or that of the Lady Ella, or if you would like you may wait for the Lady Jayne to return. If you wish you may move on."

"Thank you, my Lord." said the maid, rising from her seat. "I shall not be returning to the service of Lady Jayne; she has grown crazed from what I hear."

"Very well." said John "Would you like to join the service of Lady Ella?"

"I shall." said Tyana "Hopefully at least she has commonsense."


End file.
